


Travel Arrangements

by Thefanfictor



Series: percabeth's fantastical adventures [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Archaeology, Boats and Ships, First Meetings, Gen, although the time period isn't really established, explorer!Annabeth, first in a series probably, sea captain!Percy, well more like historical fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-09-25 00:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17111072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thefanfictor/pseuds/Thefanfictor
Summary: Annabeth is a freelance explorer/archaeologist stranded with little money.  Percy is a ship captain in need of something interesting to do.  They might just be able to work something out.





	Travel Arrangements

**Author's Note:**

> Short, just-for-fun thing to establish the universe. I'll probably expand this into a series sometime, but for now, there's this.

A salty sea breeze ruffled Annabeth's hair as she stepped out onto the pier.  Immediately, the port assaulted the rest of her senses: the shouts of sailors and merchants, the crash of waves against the shore, the briny, iron-tainted scent of fresh fish, and the fluttering canvass of ship sails in the same wind off the ocean.  Annabeth smiled.  No matter where you were, mariner towns were always the same.

The heels of Annabeth's boots made hollow thunking sounds against the seawater-warped boards of the dock as she made her way through the hubbub, scanning her surroundings for a sign of her contact.  She caught occasional glimpses of the ships lined up along the pier, and made a mental note to double back once she reached the end of the line.  The bustle of the crowd made it difficult to keep count.

Despite this, no one bothered her while she walked (except the merchants who had set up shop).  Maybe it was her clothing: a loose white lace-up shirt in need of a wash and a brown pair of men's breeches, although her experiences had taught her that nothing short of threatening to murder the men who hit on her would stop them from doing it.  More likely, it was the bronze dagger strapped to her hip.  For whatever reason, she reached the end of the dock without any trouble.  "Thank the gods," she muttered.

She'd gone back and forth across the pier twice before she started to worry.  Her contact had specified the time and place, and she'd followed the instructions exactly, but what if she'd made a mistake somewhere after all? She had never met her contact in person; they'd been connected through a mutual friend.  What if she'd gone to the wrong place entirely, and now she was going to miss her only opportunity to continue her explorations?

Anxious, Annabeth reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out the letter she'd received a week before.  Furrowing her brow, she squinted to make out the messy scrawl of its author, which did nothing to help her dyslexia.  As she scanned the torn half sheet, she confirmed that yes, she had gotten the meeting place right.  _Perseus Jackson_ ,  the signature read.  Annabeth scowled.  She crumpled the parchment and shoved it back into her pocket.

"Excuse me, miss?"

Annabeth turned, scowl still in place.  "What?"

Before her stood a tall, lean man about her age, with windswept black hair tucked under a captain's hat.  The brim of the hat shaded bright green eyes that shone with a mischievous light and a deeply tanned face dotted with freckles.  His clothes looked nice, but also as if they'd been donned hastily, sharp creases wilted in the sea air.  Under her scrutiny, the man's eyes turned apologetic, but a hint of a smile remained.

"Begging your pardon, miss," the man said, palms slightly upturned as if to shield himself from Annabeth's glare.  "But are you Annabeth Chase?"

Annabeth's heart leaped, hopes flaring.  She fought to tamp down her excitement.  "Yes, that's me."

The faint smile turned into a wide, relieved grin.  "Oh, thank the gods," he said, words coming out in a rush.  "Sorry, I'm Perseus Jackson, and I apologize for my tardiness.  I had to deal with the harbormaster to extend the duration of our stay.  My ship's, I mean.  Still, I shouldn't have left you waiting."

"It's no trouble," Annabeth lied.  "Thank you for agreeing to this meeting."

"Wouldn't miss it," Perseus said.  "So, your notice said you had a job opening?"

Annabeth took a deep breath.  "Yes.  As you know, I've been hired by a university on the other side of the country to explore some ruins on an island to see if there's anything worth preserving."

Reaching back into her pocket, she extracted the world map she'd purchased in her first year of exploration to show him the island she meant.  The edges of the parchment were ragged from years of use.  "As such, I require sea transportation to the island and then to my employer," Annabeth continued.

"You want to use my ship." Perseus' tone and expression were both unreadable.

"Yes." So far, Annabeth had prided herself on keeping the desperation out of her voice, yet as she spoke, the full weight of her predicament came crashing onto her shoulders.  If Perseus refused, she would have nothing left.  The university had agreed to give her a small sum up front, barely enough to buy passage on a ship or, if that failed, a few nights' stay in a boardinghouse before she'd be on her own, stranded in a country she didn't know with no money and little means to earn it.  Few people would agree to take on a female explorer, especially when she insisted on being paid for her work.

Perseus was still studying her.  He made no move to continue the conversation, and panic built in Annabeth's chest, closing off her airway.  Her breath came in shallow gasps; she was starting to feel lightheaded.

"I can pay you," she said, a little too quickly.  She pulled the pouch of silver she'd brought along from her pocket and let him weigh it in one hand.  "And I'll have more after this job.  I can't promise it'll be a lot, and it might not be entirely safe, but-"  _Dear gods, stop talking_ , she wanted to shout at herself, but something about Perseus compelled her to be honest with him.

"This will probably take weeks," she finished, face red, "but I'd really appreciate your help."

For a moment, Annabeth's final words hung in the air between them as fragile as spun sugar.  Her heart lodged somewhere in her throat as the silence stretched on.   _Damn it._

Then Perseus blinked, solidly inscrutable expression slowly shifting like it was thawing out.  He blinked some more, his mouth opened and closed wordlessly, and finally his lips started to curve up in an unmistakable grin.

"Miss Chase," he began.  "This is probably the most interesting thing I've ever been asked to do.  I'd be an idiot not to accept your offer, no matter how little you paid me.  I'm sure my crew will agree."  His grin widened.  "Although I don't mind the silver either."

Annabeth laughed, more out of relief than sincere amusement, and because if she didn't she'd burst into tears.  "I won't hold it against you.  So, how long will it be until we reach our destination?"

He asked to see her map again.  Annabeth obliged, watching as he trailed a finger across it, brow furrowed.  "Let's see . . . if we depart tomorrow morning with fair weather . . . make a brief stop . . . _here_   for supplies and business . . . it's a straight shot to your island from there.  I'd say it'll take about five days, assuming our luck isn't utterly horrible."

"Perfect." Annabeth's excitement bubbled and frothed up in her chest like champagne, her heart about to burst.  She fought to contain herself, but there was still a smile in her voice.  "Well, it was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Jackson."

"Percy," he corrected.  "If we're to be partners in this, I'd prefer to be on a first name basis."

"Alright, then, Percy it is." She stuck out her hand and he shook it.  He had a firm grip, his palm calloused.  "I'll see you tomorrow at seven?"

Percy winced slightly at the early hour, but soon recovered his composure.  "Absolutely - Annabeth?"

She wasn't sure why, but she liked the way her name sounded when he said it.  Enough to let him get away with omitting her surname, anyway. 

"Wonderful," Annabeth said.  "Where should I meet you?"

Percy thought about it for a moment.  "Come back here," he decided.  "My ship's the  _Pegasus_ ; you can recognize it by the blue sails."

"Wonderful," Annabeth repeated.  She couldn't hold back her smile anymore and fired off a crisp salute, which Percy returned.  "We'll meet here again tomorrow."

"Count on it."

They maintained eye contact for another few seconds before Percy made a short bow and walked off into the crowd.  Annabeth watched him go, heart thundering, then headed back the way she'd come.  Things were starting to look up.

**Author's Note:**

> That's all, folks! Hope you enjoyed; leave a comment/kudos if you did!


End file.
